Coming of age

Wow. Long time no blog post! I've been pretty busy with my life here in Taipei. I've been going to school, studying my Mandarin Chinese, and, of course, I've been eating tons of food. However, this weekend I was able to participate in an especially enjoyable event! The Coming of Age ceremony!

Held at the beautiful Taipei Confucius Temple, the Coming of Age ceremony was a symbolic ritual that signified a child leaving their parents. I am so happy that Rotary made it possible for us exchange students to experience this amazing cultural activity! We have all been practicing for weeks to do our parts in the ceremony. I myself had the opportunity to participate in a traditional lion dance!

Others performed with the drums, some did a dragon dance, and there was also a martial arts performance and a techno dance! It is so different from anything I've ever experienced before, and I really enjoyed it! Being able to experience such diverse and rich cultures is one of the main reasons I love doing exchange so much. And since Thanksgiving just passed, I can't help but think about how grateful I am to be here in this beautiful country this year!